This review of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is 100% spoiler free. With that comes the possibility that chunks of it'll seem quite mystical if you haven't seen the film, as I'm not even going to reference character names or reveals in the trailer - but spoiler free is spoiler free, right?
Let's get one thing out of the way first: I grew up with Stars Wars all around me. It's still with me now (there's an AT-AT walker to my right as I scribble this). So if you're looking for an unbiased, emotio...

So, there's a teaser trailer out for the new Star Wars film. Have you seen it? No? Then go and watch it immediately - it's far more entertaining than anything you'll find here. I'll wait.
Done? Good.
I've not really paid much attention to the oncoming horror/brilliance that is Episode 7, The Force Awakens. Sure, I've known about for a while (you can't really spend any time on the internet and not know about it) but I've not really engaged with the dribs and drabs of information that are fl...

Last time, I expounded on the topic of continuity – the weight of in-universe history (also referred to as background, lore, canon, or fluff in various circles) –getting in the way of telling new stories. Lots of words with a simple message: continuity is often only as much of an obstacle as you want it to be. Thing is, what do you do if the obstacle has simply become too big and too unwieldy to work with? Regardless of the medium, the favourite option tends to be the retcon.
Retcon – or retr...

Fantasy and sci-fi need both more strong, successful, proactive, problem-solving, fear-conquering, butt-kicking women. I’ve known this for a while (sadly, nowhere near long enough), but it’s one of those things that simply can’t be said too much.
Why? Well, partly because girls deserve to have the same kind of awe-inspiring role models as us boys. When I was a kid, I had Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Spider-man, Batman, Madmartigan, the Doctor, Starbuck, the A-Team, Mic...